Angela Merkel bashes Trump in fiery Harvard commencement speech

Trump may have called German Chancellor Angela Merkel his favorite world leader back in 2016. But it seems as though she does not feel the same way about him.

In a commencement speech at Harvard University on Thursday, Merkel took numerous veiled swipes at Trump, impugning his policies and the worldview that shapes them.

According to CNN, Merkel told the graduates of the Ivy League university to “tear down walls of ignorance and narrow-mindedness” and advised them to never, “describe lies as truth and truth as lies” — both clear jabs at Trump.

She also took direct aim at Trump’s trade policies, saying that protectionism — which Trump is practicing with his reckless and ill-informed tariffs — will “jeopardize free international trade, and thus the very foundations of our prosperity.”

It’s no surprise that Merkel would criticize Trump. She eschews the kind of right-wing politics Trump promotes and has had a rocky relationship with Trump since he took office.

She disagrees with Trump’s decision to try and tank the Iran nuclear deal — which is currently increasing the possibility of deadly conflict in the Middle East — and has rejected Trump’s attempts to put up trade barriers between the U.S. and Europe.

She also vehemently disagrees with Trump and his administration’s anti-climate change position — which she also talked about in her Thursday commencement speech.

“Wars and terrorism lead to displacement and forced migration,” Merkel said in her address. “Climate change poses a threat to our planet’s natural resources.”

She added, according to the New York Times, that, “We can and must do everything humanly possible to truly master this challenge to humankind.”

Merkel was met with cheers for her lines that were clearly aimed at Trump, according to multiple media outlets who covered the speech.

It’s unclear whether Trump has seen her address yet. Though, judging by the absence of nasty tweets aimed at Merkel, it’s likely he hasn’t.

If he does, one can only imagine the kind of vitriol coming Merkel’s way.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.